PATNA, INDIA – A catastrophic fire, triggered by an explosion from a cooking gas cylinder, has resulted in the death of six people and left 20 others injured in Patna, an eastern city in India. The explosion occurred in a restaurant filled with diners, and the fire rapidly engulfed a nearby hotel, prompting a swift response from the local fire brigade.
Firefighters were on the scene in no time, with over a dozen fire engines battling the inferno. According to Satya Prakash, the fire officer in charge, they managed to rescue approximately 40 people from the burning structures.
The hotel, situated in a crowded area next to Patna’s railway station, was severely affected by the fire. Multiple vehicles parked in the vicinity were also reduced to ashes. Prakash revealed that some hotel occupants, in a desperate bid to escape the flames, jumped out of their windows, leading to additional injuries.
Regrettably, fire incidents are not uncommon in India, a country where adherence to building laws and safety codes is often lax. This fire follows a series of fatal incidents, including a 2019 electrical short circuit that killed 43 people in the Indian capital and a 2022 fire in a New Delhi commercial building that resulted in at least 27 deaths.